How to Mount a TV in a Van

Trying to figure out how to safely mount a TV in your campervan without causing damage to the walls of your vehicle or risking damage to the TV while driving?

In this article, we discuss what steps you need to follow to safely mount your TV, plus suggest the top-rated TV mounts to use.

Step 1: Find a Convenient Location to Mount Your TV

The first step to mounting a tv in your van is to find a suitable location. To ensure your tv is well placed, make sure the location you choose meets these qualifications:

Mounting Surface: To securely mount your tv, you’ll need to place 4 screws through the mounting bracket into a solid mounting surface. Wood wall paneling, kitchen galley framing, or structural van components are great candidates; the metal outer walls of your van however are not.

Proximity to 12 Volt Power: To avoid running power cables long distances, choose a location to mount your tv where you can easily access your 12v power source.

Viewing Angle: Make sure you choose a location for your tv that maximizes the viewing angle for as many viewers as possible. The ends of your van are ideal but centrally mounted tv’s can work well if you utilize a swivel tv mount.

Safety: To ensure no damage occurs to your tv, avoid placing it in heavily trafficked areas (like entryways/next to sliding doors) or near heat or water (like your kitchen).

Step 2: Choose a Mount

Once you’ve located the mounting position, the next step is to choose a mount.

When choosing a mount, avoid attachments that rely solely on gravity “to hang” the tv onto the mounting bracket. These mounts are not sturdy enough to withstand driving conditions and can result in damage to your tv (we recommend locking mounts below).

Look for a mount that is compact, lightweight, and sits flush against the mounting surface of your vehicle when not in use. Manufacturers list the size & type of mount that works with each tv. Most small van tv’s we recommend use a 100mm x 100mm square mounting pattern.

Here are 3 of the best tv mounts for vans:

1. GOFORWILD Lockable TV Van Mount (Best Overall)
2. USX MOUNT Lockable TV Mount (Runner Up)
3. ELIVED Small TV Wall Mount (Best Budget)

Step 3: Test Fit & Install

Once you’ve purchased your tv mount, it’s time to install.

To start, test fit the mount to the back of your tv and hold the tv securely in hand to the base plate in your chosen mounting location to ensure nothing will obstruct the tv. It’s best if you have an additional person to help who can swivel the tv side to side to make sure no objects are obstructing the tv from freely moving side to side.

Once you know the location is adequate, remove the tv from the stand and begin the installation process by returning the base mounting bracket back to the same location. Use a level and pencil to mark the holes at each corner of the mounting bracket while ensuring the mount remains perfectly leveled.

Once marked, you can pre-drill your holes if necessary (this may be unnecessary depending on the mounting surface but should be done for thicker metals or hardwoods). With all 4 holes successfully drilled, use the screws provided with your bracket to fix the base plate securely in place. From there, attach your tv to the base plate and make any final adjustments.

And that’s it. So long as you purchase a vehicle safe tv mount and install it to a secure surface (like wood or metal), you should have no issues.